Ski Day!

Monday was MLK Day, and Kristoffer had the day off, so we did something we've been wanting to do for a while, SKI!!  Not only that, we took Marin up for her very first ski lesson.  The day could not have gone any smoother, it was perfect.

Owen had his turn with the ski helmet and goggles before we left, he thought he was pretty hot stuff.

Marin trying to hide from the mama-paparazzi.

There's the cute girl coming in from the slopes!

Getting a sticker on her badge.  And below, a picture with her instructor, Sean.  He told us she did great, and really used her leg muscles once she got off the lift, so proud of my girl!!

A funny face from our onion rings.

Happy girl scarfing down her pizza and cheetos....we let her splurge for lunch.

Mama with helmet hair.

Happy girl.  We watched some You-Tube videos of kids skiing before we went, and every time a kid would fall, the screen would switch to a little kid laughing hysterically.  It was kind of like a subconscious conditioning that falling is funny.  And so, every time she fell, she laughed!

There's my skier girl!

She really had a blast.  We took her down the bunny hill about five or six times, and she did GREAT.  We just let her alone, and off she went.  She kept telling us how much she liked skiing.  I love that I see a real, true blue smile on this girl's face, I don't capture that very often with a lens.

Lunch with daddy!

Happy Girl.

Daddy was super proud of his little skier.

I love this picture of Marin and Kristoffer, so sweet!

And Kristoffer and I got to ski a few runs while Marin was in ski-school.  It's been about 5 years since I've been up, so it took a little while to get my ski legs back, but it was so awesome to be skiing again...especially with my hubby, even if he does zoom all around me on the mountain...show off ;)

And VIDEOS!  The first one is sideways, but really cute. 

So proud of my little girl, she tried hard and had fun, and that's what matters!

Party Planning

January is starting off with a capital 'B' for BUSY!  Phew!  Truthfully, I don't mind being busy, it keeps my mind engaged and working.  I got a jump on some February activities by ordering invitations!!  Our little Owen will be two...TWO next month!  Where did the time go?  PLUS, I am having a little Valentines Day Party for Marin and some of her little friends from church.  I want my little girl to know that home is a place where FUN can happen, and that she can have her friends over for fun.  This way, when gets older, she will want to bring her friends home and I get meet who she hangs out with.  It starts now, right?

So.....here are the cute invitations!  They are just too adorable not to share.  I ordered them from Vista Print, and got 10 of each with the envelopes.  I think I paid about 5 dollars or less for each invite package, so, a pretty good deal, and suuuuuper easy.

I am determined to have a year filled with fun and laughs and dinner parties and impromptu get-togethers.  Memories start right here, right now!

My 2013 Resolution

After some wonderful inspiring lessons in 2012, I have found my 2013 resolution:

~Find the Joy in Every Moment~

This is something that I am totally ready for.  I am ready to start letting go of the things I can't change and be OK with that.  Not that I was ever high strung before, but becoming a mom kind of made me a little more...particular?  And if things didn't seem to work out the way I thought they should, it would frustrate me.  I'm ready to rise above that.  I'm ready to let go of anger, or frustration, or pain, and find the JOY.  I'm ready to make the choice to be happy in each and every little moment.  Life is too short to hang onto those sad emotions!

And so, I make a segway into my next topic.  The two lessons that I've learned in 2012 are these:

~Just Because Something is Hard, Doesn't Mean it's Bad, it's Just Hard~

This is one I have struggled with, and I think I always will.  It's human nature to want to take the easy path, it's....easier!  But if living the Gospel has taught me anything, it's that doing the right thing is *often* hard.  It's supposed to be.  Life isn't supposed to be easy.   And this applies to SO MUCH in life beyond the gospel!!  I'm sticking to my principles, and let my preferences go, even if that means it's the hard choice.

~If I Don't Love Someone or Something, I am Not Serving Them Enough~

This realization came to me as I hear and see the members of my home ward in New York serving my parents so faithfully in this immense time of need.  They have been an absolute blessing and it brings me to tears to know that they love my family as much as I do, and are able to serve them.  They love my family because they serve them.  I cannot express my gratitude to them enough for everything they have done.  So I realized, it's because they serve that they love.

It made me think, why do I love my children?  Certainly not because parenthood is easy (HA!), it's because I serve them, every day, and I put everything that I am and have into the nurturing of their body's and souls.  Why do I love my husband and my marriage?  Not because it's always easy being married, but because I put so much time and effort into being a great wife and serving (the good service, you know what I mean) my husband.  Why do I love the girls I visit teach?  Not because the appointments or cookies make themselves, but because I SERVE them.

And so, a week after I bore my testimony in church about this aspect of service, I about ate my words when they asked me to serve in the nursery.  Yup.  The one calling I have been dreading for 10 years.  I may or may not have made a comment to the first counselor about nursery being a good form of birth control (I was trying to accept it *so* graciously!), woops!  But I accepted it and after I cried all through sacrament meeting that day, and commiserated with some friends at work, I reached my acceptance phase and moved on.  I am ready and happy to serve, and I know that as I serve these sweet wonderful children, I WILL grow to love them.

So, I am moving ahead into 2013 with my new knowledge and my my new resolution; determine to improve and be happy and love life!  This is going to be my best year yet!!   

Hockey, Golfing, Cafe Rio

We managed to make it through the holidays, and plow on through to January.  I need to get back on the blogging train and kick this year off right, I feel like I've missed so much!

So, let's start with some hockey!  We took the kids to a hockey game this past Saturday night after late naps and it was fffffffreezing!  At least it was outside, brrrr!  And as for the game, I think the kids had more fun watching the bear mascot than the actual game itself.  And who was playing?  The Utah Grizzlies played the Las Vegas Wranglers....we were a little torn as to who we should cheer for, but we are Utahns now, so we cheered for the home team.

 Next time we need to bring our brother in law, Justin, who used to play hockey, so we can understand the game a little better!

 Keeping an eye out for that mascot.

 It wouldn't be hockey game without Red Vines!

 Marin helping mama make pizza muffins.

 This is how we do hide and seek at the Lyman house!

 My poor little Owen woke up a week ago around 11pm with a terrible barky, croupy cough and was retracting BAD.  I threw a few nebulizer treatments at him and he wasn't getting any better, and since the onset was so quick, I didn't want the crash to come just as quick at home, so I took him to ER.  Of course, with croup and nice COLD air outside, by the time we got there, he was much better, but we took some steroids and went home.

 If I'm allowed to share...Bestemor broke her arm skiing!  :(  Of course, I didn't take any pictures, per request, but we took a few trips to go visit her and cheer her up with her sweet grandbabies.

 And roller skating!  We went to the Hollywood Connection ( they have a TON of kids stuff there) and we went roller skating.  I will say, I have a hard time on skates, not being able to get my footing is a big deal for me.  BUT, in finding the joy in each moment, I forged ahead and we really did have a great time.  Marin was super nervous and required a LOT of positive reinforcement, but by the end, she was starting to get the hang of it; I was so proud of her!!

 Also at Hollywood Connection....mini golf!  It was so cute to watch the kids with their tiny golf clubs.

 We briefly tried to help them hold their clubs, but it was all for naught.  And that's ok.  We're raising kids, not mini golfing.

 And some lunch at Cafe Rio, yum!

 Owen with his lime.  He loves chewing lemons and limes.

We love our Saturdays!